The Next Chapter
by the-littlest-pumpkin
Summary: A series of epilogues following Sweetie Pie's Bakery and Something Blue. Santana, Quinn, Jess, Brittany and Rachel navigate the triumphs and pitfalls of careers, marriage and - most importantly - parenthood.
1. The New Arrival

**Hey, guys! Long time no see!**

**So this 'story' is basically just a mixture of one-shot epilogues, taking place throughout the gang's future. They'll be written in chronological order, although will not necessarily follow on directly from each other. I'm making no promises about regular updates either, so just think of them as random surprises through the year haha. Less structure here than in my other stories, but I still think you'll enjoy them.**

**And, unlike in the past, please feel free to send me any other ideas you might have!**

**ENJOY!**

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"I like that dark one." Hayley nodded to Quinn's hand as she lay on the sofa, her feet crossed at the ankle and spoon digging in her tub of ice cream.

Santana turned to look at the girl, dropping the paint samples from the wall as she stared incredulously, "It doesn't matter which you like, you won't be living here."

"Just giving you my opinion." The younger girl shrugged, "Either way, I'm not letting you _butcher _Aunt Clara's house. Choose whichever you like, apart from that palest one because it's making me throw up in my mouth."

Quinn frowned at the colour in question, before shrugging her agreement and abandoning it on the small pile on the mantelpiece. "Talking of which, I wanted to talk to you about something." She took a deep breath, perching on the arm of the chair opposite and staring at the girl as Santana nodded, placing the paint charts down and subtly taking her leave.

Hayley watched her go with a wry smile, before turning back to her cousin with an eyebrow raised, "Don't worry, Mom, I'm not sexually active." She mocked, the corners of her mouth twitching. The older blonde aimed a gentle kick at the girl's legs, and Hayley scowled, "Alright, alright! What is it?"

"So you keep going on and on and _on and on_ and-"

"I get it."

Quinn nodded, "You keep saying about wanting to move out and get your own place with Miss Gynae-mi-tee-hee."

Hayley rolled her eyes, "I _wish _you wouldn't call her that."

"Sorry, bad habit." She reasoned, "Blame Santana. Anyway, I know you're trying to move in with _Zoe_...and I wanted to help." She began, her hands clasped in her lap, but Hayley sat up quickly, abandoning her ice cream on the table, holding her hands up and shaking her head.

"No. Stop there, no." She replied insistently, "You've already let me live here for a year, playing _ridiculously _low rent, and I can't take any more money from you. It's not fair."

Quinn quirked an eyebrow, waiting patiently before rolling her eyes, "Alright. Wasn't _going_ to offer you money, but _anyway_." She slid down onto the chair, settling herself before turning her attention back to the girl, "As you know, pretty soon we're going to have a baby."

"You're hardly showing at all." Hayley interjected dryly, earning a glare from her cousin, who shook her head.

"You know what, never mind!" She clapped her hands, moving to stand up, "If you don't want to listen then it doesn't matter."

Hayley immediately rolled off the side of the couch, reaching for the girl before sitting up straight, "No! No, wait! I want to know! Tell me!"

"No." Quinn shrugged nonchalantly, crossing to the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea as Hayley traipsed along behind her. "You ruined it."

"No, please tell me!" She pouted, sitting down at the breakfast bar, "Look. You have my full attention."

The older girl sighed, leaning her hip on the counter beside her and turning back to the girl, "Okay, then. So pretty soon we're going to have a baby, and Santana and I _both _want to take some time off work. Now, obviously Santana has her maternity from the school, then when she goes back she'll be part-time." Hayley nodded as she watched the girl, her eyes wide as she listened intently, "Sadly, I don't have that luxury." Quinn shrugged, "One of the drawbacks of having your own business."

"Right..."

"So, I have a proposal for you."

Hayley chuckled, her nose wrinkling, "Well I'd love to, Quinn, but isn't incest taking this relationship _too_ far?"

"I want you to work at the bakery." She continued, ignoring her cousin's comment entirely. "Obviously Marley will be manager, but I want you to help out and be second in command. That way if she's ever sick or something comes up, you can run the store."

"Are you serious?" The girl asked, her eyebrows raised earnestly.

"Yup." Quinn nodded. "However I _do _have an ulterior motive to just using you for labour and helping you to get out of my house." She chuckled, and Hayley raised an eyebrow,

"Pretty much my house, too."

The older girl snorted, "I inherited it." She countered, before shaking her head and continuing, "So, in the not-so-distant future, Iwould like to expand and open a _second_ bakery - further out, in the suburbs, rather than travelling into the city all the time." She continued, folding her arms, "And so, if you were up for it, there'd be the possibility of making you manager of the _new_ bakery, once we've ironed out all the creases." Nodding, she watched Hayley's expression shift from curiosity, through bashful admiration, to nervous horror.

"Manager?" She repeated, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"Now, obviously I know that becoming manager is a _long_-term plan, and that's all far away, so you don't have to think about _any _of that yet. And if you didn't want to be part of the business to that extent then that's entirely up to you and I don't mind either way." She shrugged, before nodding seriously, "But I _really_ think you should consider working at Sweetie Pie's. I need to employ someone _anyway_ for when we get the baby, _you _want to move out of this place and we might as well come to a mutually beneficial agreement."

Hayley's face twisted with disgust, "That sounds like you want to be fuck buddies, stop being disgusting."

Quinn sighed impatiently, rolling her eyes, "Can you be serious for five minutes?"

"I'm serious, that's disgusting." She nodded, before rolling her eyes, "Well, I don't know! You've sprung all of this on me, it hasn't sunk in."

"Alright, that's true." Her cousin agreed, moving over to lean her forearms on the counter beside the girl, "I just think that you stepping in would mean that I didn't have to _interview _people and stuff - I hated doing that when I hired Marley, so it would really take the pressure off. It works out for both of us short-term, and in the long run if you wanted to you could take over and have your own part of the business to run." She shrugged, "Plus, I like the idea of having a real family-run bakery. We could name the other one Sugar Plum's?"

Hayley frowned, "Why would we call it that?"

"That's what Grandpa used to call _you_. I was Sweetie Pie and you were Sugar Plum." Quinn nodded, "Sam was Champ and Claire was...well, I don't remember what Claire was."

"Who cares?" Hayley shrugged, before peering at her cousin, "So _that's_ why it's called Sweetie Pie's?"

Quinn stared at the girl, "Well, yeah. Why did you _think _it was called that?"

"I don't know." She recoiled defensively, "I just thought you'd picked a..._weird_ _name_." She shrugged exaggeratedly, throwing her hands in the air.

"_Anyway,"_ The older girl commanded their attention again, running her hands through her hair as she attempted to de-stress herself, "will you at least _consider_ taking on a job at Sweetie Pie's? And if you do, you can see what you think about opening another store."

Hayley smiled, "I'll do more than that." She nodded, "I _will_ accept your proposal to work at the bakery, provided I don't have to wear one of those lame aprons."

Quinn tutted, "No deal. Sorry. The aprons are kind of our thing."

"Okay." The girl sighed thoughtfully, "What if I wear one that isn't covered in stupid flowers and embroidery?" She grimaced, "Just, like, a normal one?"

"Agreed." Quinn grinned, holding her hand out to the girl, "Welcome to the family business."

Hayley chuckled, reaching out to shake the offered hand, "Thanks, Q. You'd better not be too bossy though."

"I'm making no promises." She chuckled as the doorbell rang. She raised an eyebrow at her cousin, "Expecting someone?"

The girl shrugged, "No. It's probably one of my many adoring admirers." She smiled brightly, "Just tell them to leave any gifts on the hall table." She sniggered wryly, stretching across the breakfast bar for a magazine and flicking the cover over.

Quinn chuckled, rolling her eyes as she crossed into the hall, glancing up the stairs to see whether Santana had been expecting someone. There was no sign of the girl, and she frowned curiously as she tugged the door open, her jaw dropping immediately as her eyes grew wide.

"Hi." She recoiled slightly, her face clouded with confusion, before she caught herself and gave her head a small shake, "I mean. Hi, mom. What's...what's up?" She shrugged cluelessly, staring open-mouthed at he woman, who smiled nervously.

"I did it." She nodded, "I left your father."

"_Fucking_ _hell_." Quinn gawped, earning herself a disapproving scowl from her mother.

"Quinnie, I don't think that's appropriate."

The blonde nodded, "Sorry. Come in." She stepped back, waving a hand for the woman to enter as she took a deep breath, attempting to wrap her head around the current events. "So...just like that? What did he say?"

"_You're not supposed to let stalker fans in, Quinn. Jesus." _Hayley shouted from the kitchen as she spun on her chair, her wide grin falling into a panicked grimace as she set eyes on her relative, " Oh! Hey, Aunty Ju. Sorry for the...blasphemy." Her cheeks pinked slightly as she slid off her chair, grabbing the magazine and scuttling awkwardly past them, "I'll just...go upstairs..."

Quinn took a deep breath and sat down in the armchair, offering her mother the sofa,"So...daddy?" She shrugged, "I can't imagine he was too happy?"

_"WHO'S HERE?"_

She rolled her eyes as Santana's voice echoed throughout the house, sending her mother an apologetic grimace.

"He won't be." Judy nodded slowly, "When he gets home and finds the note I left him."

"What?" Quinn gawped, "He doesn't even _know_? You just did a...midnight _flit_?" She waved her hands exasperatedly as the spoke, her eyes wide with horror and eyebrows practically disappearing into her hairline, "Oh my God."

"Well, I thought it would be easier this way." The woman defended with a shrug, "I don't have the energy to argue with him anymore. I'm robbing myself of the opportunity to see his face while I finally stand up to him, but it's worth it to just get away quietly and with no fuss." She nodded, her hands clasped tightly in her lap as she took a deep breath, "I've already contacted our law firm and will be filing for divorce in a week's time."

Quinn nodded slowly as her mother explained, her eyes wide, before finally swallowing hard, "Sorry...but fucking _hell_."

Her mother gave a nervous titter, "I know."

She to a deep breath, sitting forward with her elbows on her knees as she dropped her face into her hands, sighing heavily, "I can't believe you did it."

"Neither can I." Judy replied, shaking her head quickly, "But I did. And I've never felt so liberated. And I've never been happier to see you." She smiled as Quinn looked up, her expression a mixture of bemused admiration and disbelief.

The corners of her mouth twitched into a small smile, which grew into a wide grin as she chuckled, shaking her head slowly, "I can't believe you did it." She repeated, giggling manically as she stood up and rushed over to the sofa, smothering her mother in a tight hug and causing both women to slump back against the couch. Judy gave a relieved giggle as Quinn finally sat upright again and pulled her mother to sit beside her, grinning widely.

"Well, I just wanted to come and tell you before I checked in to my hotel." She smiled, "I thought it would be best to come to this area. Far enough away from your father but still, you know, close to family." She gave a nervous shrug, but Quinn grinned.

"Good choice." She nodded, "But there's no way you're wasting money on a hotel, you can have one of the rooms here." She gestured upstairs, "Join the swearing, blaspheming, sinning side of the Fabray family." Giggling, she shrugged, "Maybe you'll surprise yourself."

Judy chuckled, shaking her head, "I'm not sure about that. And though it _does _seem that you girls need someone to keep you on track..." She snorted, watching her daughter with admiration, "I'm proud of how much you've all achieved."

Quinn grinned bashfully, bowing her head, "Yeah, we'll, we've tried." She chuckled, "Although it seems Hayley's effort is only just beginning."

"Still," her mother shrugged, "you've got the biggest heart of anyone I know. I can't wait until you're a mother."

"Speaking of which!" Quinn grinned, "I said in my email that we had the nursery finished...wanna see?"

The woman grinned widely, "Of course!"

She led the way upstairs and across the landing to the nursery, where Santana and Hayley were both on their knees on the floor, huddled together with their ears pressed to the carpet, whispering furiously.

"_I think she said she left him!" _Hayley nodded adamantly, but Santana scoffed.

_"Oh, don't be ridiculous. I'm sure she's just here to visit while Russell's away, you'll have heard wrong."_

Hayley sighed impatiently, _"I did not!"_

Quinn rolled her eyes and rapped her knuckle on the open door, standing with her arms folded and eyebrow raised as Hayley slowly turned to look at them, her faces fixed in guilty smiles. Santana shook her head casually, peering down at the cream carpet, "No, I don't think it left a stain." She shrugged innocently.

"Well, that's great news." Hayley nodded, making a show of wiping her brow with relief, "Phew."

"Hey, guys." Santana grinned as she pushed herself to her feet confidently, "Hayley dropped a glass of...water earlier so we were just...checking it." She trailed off as the girl beside her glared incredulously, but nodded to her cousin and Aunt.

"Yes, that's what happened. Silly me, I forgot that water is _colourless_." She lied pointedly, her mouth set in a grim, forced smile. "Anyway!" She clapped her hands together, "I'm going to just go...again...slightly less subtly this time." She smiled as she brushed past the women in the doorway and jogged quickly up the stairs to the attic.

Quinn turned back to her wife, one eyebrow raised, "I just came to show my mom the nursery like I promised, but I didn't realise it was already in _use._"

Santana shrugged, "I was putting towels away when Hayley collared me about the stain. God knows why she was even in here, but it's cute isn't it?" She nodded to Judy, who chuckled and nodded.

"Isn't it strange how you were crouched on the floor of the room _directly above _where we were talking?" The blonde nodded slowly, "What a coincidence."

"Yes. Yes, it is."

"Sticking to that story?" Quinn asked knowingly, folding her arms and leaning against the door with a smug grin.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"Well, it's lovely!" Judy replied quickly, stepping into the room and gazing around her, brushing over the girls' stand-off. The walls were painted a pale biscuit colour, and she nodded approvingly at the cutesy line-drawings of various wild animals that were dotted around, "Did you two do it?"

Santana tilted her head in consideration, "With some help, yeah. We did most of it but the girls all helped. Especially Brittany."

"Apparently she has a penchant for drawing anthropomorphised animal infants." Quinn added, remarking, "It wasn't a talent any of us saw coming."

"Well, it's gorgeous. I can't wait to meet my grandchild." Judy grinned, "I'll have to find somewhere permanent to live soon." She spoke absent-mindedly, "And a job. Wow." The woman blinked, looking slightly stunned as the magnitude of her actions threatened to overwhelm her.

Quinn stepped over to her mother, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, "You'll be fine. One step at a time.'' She nodded, "For now just...take it one step at a time." The woman lifted her hand to cover her daughter's, patting it gratefully.

"You're right." She agreed, turning to Santana, "Hayley was right." She explained, "I _have _left Russell." Santana opened her mouth to deny the claim, but the woman raised an eyebrow, "Sorry, Santana. You two are no Jess and Brittany."

The brunette nodded begrudgingly, before giving the woman a sympathetic smile, "Sorry to hear that."

"No, you're not." Judy shook her head, a small smile making the corners of her mouth twitch, "And I'm not either."

"She's going to be staying with us for a while." Quinn explained with a hopeful smile, mouthing _'Thank you' _to her wife behind her mother's back.

Judy frowned, "Not for long, though." She assured her, "I'm perfectly capable of staying in a hotel but Quinn seems to be insisting."

The blonde shrugged, "You _can_ stay in a hotel...until Daddy cuts off all your finances. Then you'll end up here anyway."

"Oh...of course." The woman gave a small nod, "You're right. I hadn't thought of that."

"So don't worry." Quinn smiled, "You can stay here as long as it takes. Besides, Sam's back in the US in a few weeks so he'll be dropping by, too. It'll be nice to have the family together."

Santana nodded throughout their discussion, her eyes narrowed slightly as she internally prepared herself for the barrage of Fabrays that were now apparently _all _going to be residing in her house. Along with the baby they were expecting in a matter of weeks. And all the visitors that would come to see the baby. Which would also include _her_ entire family.

_Thank fuck you bought a big house, Aunt Clara._

"So go get your stuff out of the car." Quinn urged her mother with a grin, "You can take your pick of rooms." She shrugged, "Hayley sleeps in the attic so you can have whichever double you want."

"She _haunts _the attic, would be more accurate." Santana added.

"_I HEARD THAT!" _A voice echoed from the floor above.

The brunette scowled up at the ceiling, "_GET YOUR EAR OFF THE FUCKING FLOOR THEN!"_

Quinn watched her mother, flinching uncomfortably as her wife swore loudly, offering the woman an awkwardly apologetic smile, "Hope you enjoy staying here."

The woman chuckled before taking her leave, shaking her head incredulously as she began to descend the stairs, and Quinn turned back to her wife, "Okay, we're going to have to curb the swearing." She nodded, "It's not that I want to conform to her expectations...it's just _really_ weird hearing someone swear in front of my mom."

"It's a habit we'll kick." Santana nodded her agreement as she stepped across to the blonde, "So are you okay?"

Quinn nodded, raising her arms to wrap around her wife's neck, "Yeah...I think." She gave a nervous chuckle, "It's not quite sunk in that's she's _actually _done it, but I'm proud of her." Eyes wide, she nodded, "That's a..._big deal_."

"I know." Santana nodded, impressed, "That's taken a lot of guts...and I'm really impressed and everything..." She stroked her fingers soothingly across the bottom of the blonde's back.

"But..." Quinn raised an eyebrow expectantly, grabbing Santana's hand to still it's persuasive movement.

"In the next two years, do you see a point where we _don't also_ live with a member of your family?" She asked thoughtfully, "Or three."

The blonde shook her head defeatedly as she dropped her forehead onto the girl's shoulder, "I have _no _idea." She chuckled, "At least we can guarantee that my dad isn't _ever _going to turn up and beg my forgiveness."

"I suppose." Santana nodded, bowing her head to look Quinn in the eye as the girl lifted her head, "But seriously, I fell in love with you when you had no family apart from Sam, and I think I preferred it like that." She continued mock-seriously.

Quinn giggled, "Well you can always move back into the apartment, complete with complimentary funky smell and life-endangering elevator?"

The brunette tilted her head thoughtfully, before shrugging, "Okay, I'll pass." She grinned, leaning in to rest her forehead on her wife's, "But for the record, we're not getting a doormat that says _The_ _Fabrays _and shouting goodnight to each other through the halls."

"Fine by me." Quinn snorted, "Once this baby arrives, there will be _no shouting_. Not ever. Not even once. _Especially _when he or she is sleeping."

"Mm." Santana nodded, "I'll try but I _am _Latina. And a Lopez. We like to shout."

The blonde raised an eyebrow, "Is that so? Well, then...enjoy your sleep deprivation."


	2. Moving On

**Hey everyone! Totally loving how many of you are following this story, it's lovely to know so many of you are still invested, and lots of love to you all! So thank you so much for reading, ****keep the reading and reviewing coming, guys! **

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"Oh God, it's finally happening." Rachel groaned with dread as she watched the removal men carrying the separated parts of Jess and Brittany's bed out of their front door, "It's official."

"What's official?" Santana frowned as she and Quinn appeared from the hallway, lugging a huge suitcase of clothes between them, "It's official that you're lazy?"

"It's official that you're the least helpful person here?" Brittany asked pointedly as she carried a large box past the girl and out of the front door.

"It's official that I'm never asking you to help us move house ever again?" Jess suggested, her chest heaving as she stepped back into the half-empty apartment.

Rachel rolled her eyes, pushing off the wall and striding across to the kitchen, "No, it's official that now _all _of my friends are moving to the suburbs, and I'm left in the city on my own. It's _official _that I'm the sad spinster of he group." She nodded, picking up a box of crockery and utensils and pushing past the girls and out of the apartment.

Brittany followed her out, pausing and turning back to grimace at the girls collected by the kitchen door.

"I _did _wonder whether this was one of those times where you _weren't _supposed to tease her." Quinn grimaced, nodding slowly.

Jess tutted, folding her arms and scowling, "Well, you could have told us that. I just joined in." She shrugged.

"Me, too." The tall blonde nodded, "I blame Santana."

"Of course you do." The girl in question rolled her eyes, before nodding to the suitcase again, "We'll talk to her downstairs. Come on, Q. Flex those biceps."

Her wife sniggered as she bent to pick up her end of the case once more, following Santana out of the door as Brittany led the way down the stairs. Jess stood in the doorway to the living room, gazing around at the bare walls and floor, all of the large furniture packed away into the waiting van. She was excited to be moving closer to Quinn and Santana, not to mention further away from the city, but she had to say she was sad to see the back of their tiny, quirky apartment.

This had never been the plan, but in hindsight she couldn't imagine it any other way. After Quinn and Santana's wedding, she and Brittany had moved back in with Rachel for a month or so, to keep her company once Sam was gone. And then they just...gravitated here. Not the apartment they had always lived in together. Not Jess' giant apartment because it was far away and fairly unwelcoming. No. They had ended up here, in this tiny, poky flat with its minuscule kitchen and stained glass window in the hall.

A noise behind made her start, and she turned to find the small brunette standing in the doorway, a tired smile on her face, "Sorry."

"Don't be daft." She shrugged, beckoning the girl with her head and wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders, "It's shit, isn't it?"

"No. It's exciting, and I'm happy for you." Rachel smiled, "You're married now, you can't live somewhere so tiny. This apartment is the kind of apartment that you live in when you're the kind of people we were five years ago."

Jess tilted her head in consideration, "Dunno like, five years ago we lived in your flat, and it was miles bigger than this."

"I never did understand why you moved in _here_." The girl chuckled.

"Just felt right." She shrugged, "When I got back from Cats it was the first place that we were..._us _again. Had to be here." Giving the girl a small squeeze, she tilted her head to rest her temple against Rachel's, "You alright, Berry?" She asked softly.

Rachel smiled sadly, but nodded, "Yeah, just feeling nostalgic. I didn't mind being in our apartment by myself so much when you guys are still around the corner, but it feels weird going back to it alone now."

"Well, just don't." She suggested nonchalantly, "Fuck it. Stay at ours after dinner? It wouldn't be the same, christening it without you banging on the wall, screaming about your wake-up call and morning routine."

Chuckling, the smaller girl pulled away, shaking her head stonily, "_Absolutely_ no way. Being the spinster of the group is one thing, but I'm _definitely _too old for that."

"You're not too old for anything." Jess replied firmly, "I know we say it all the time but I _really _believe it when I say that there'll be someone else."

Rachel nodded steadily, "I know there will." She took a deep breath, turning to look up at their friend, "But he won't be Sam."

"No. He won't." She sighed, "But he'll be better, because he'll want the same things that you want and hopefully he won't wear socks with sandals."

"He _definitely _won't wear socks with sandals." Rachel giggled, "No way I'm making that mistake again."

"And remember." Jess continued seriously, giving her friend a firm nod, "It means _fuck_ _all_ that we're moving somewhere that actually has stairs _inside _the property, in a neighbourhood that we've chosen because it's in the catchment area for an _amazing_ primar- _elementary_ school." She corrected, rolling her eyes, "Quinn's still going to be traveling here every day for the bakery, Santana's still going to be passing through for school, Brittany will still be coming to the city for dancing and, of course, you'll still be seeing me every day for rehearsals anyway." She shrugged, "It's not going to change anything."

"I'm sure you're right." Rachel nodded, "Although, one thing will change." She gave a sad sigh, and Jess raised her eyebrows questioningly, "This is the end of our karaoke days. Now that you're all moving out of the city."

"Nah." She laughed, shaking her head, "We'll just get the train home, or all crash at your place."

"Of course you will." The smaller girl nodded, "I forgot that I'm _never_ getting rid of you." She teased.

Jess grinned, wrapping an arm around Rachel's neck again and pulling her into a tight hug, "I fucking hope not."

They stood in silence for a few moments, the other girls appearing behind them quietly, surveying the remaining contents of the apartment.

"Wow. It seems _so _empty." Brittany sighed, shaking her head incredulously, "Who knew you could fit so much stuff in such a tiny apartment?"

Santana nodded thoughtfully, "I know they say that when you remove all the furniture, rooms looks bigger but...this place actually looks _even smaller_."

"I can't believe Brittany even fits in any of these rooms." Quinn snorted, "Like Gandalf in Bag End."

"Fucking nerd." Jess interjected.

Quinn gave a small, shamed nod, "It's genetic."

"Come on!" Rachel spun around to face the group, clapping her hands and grinning brightly, "Let's keep moving people, remember our system!"

Santana glared at Jess as she was ushered along by the tiny brunette, before reluctantly following orders. Brittany raised an eyebrow at her wife, "What did you say?"

Jess shook her head with a shrug, "I'm not really sure?"

-o-

Rachel sighed heavily. She had left Jess and Brittany to pack away their own belongings once she, Quinn and Santana had helped to re-home the majority of furniture and ornaments they had accumulated over the years. It was beginning to get dark now, and she closed down the various social media sites she was lazily scrolling through, taking a sip of her wine and allowing her head to slump back on the scatter cushions of her couch. Chewing on her lip, she glanced around guiltily before remembering with a bitter snort that she was, in fact, completely alone, before opening an Internet page once more.

This time she cringed inwardly as she clicked across to one social media site in particular, before clicking on the search bar and typing in her own name. Grimacing in worried anticipation, she waited for the results to load, suddenly remembering just why she never took part in this self-indulgence, mentally preparing herself for a barrage of insults and slander. The page quickly loaded and she peeked tentatively at the list of posts, a bashful smile spreading across her face as she scrolled through the various posts and hashtags.

**#rachelberry **

**#toopretty **

**#killmenow**

She grinned as she spotted a list of photographs from the press night of Company, gazing at the faces of her old co-stars fondly and reminding herself to email Ginny, which she had been promising to do for _well_ over a month now. Another post popped up on the screen and this time her own face stared back at her, looking moody and intense despite the green makeup that covered every inch of visible skin. She chuckled to herself, remember the _hours _of standing it took every day to achieve the Elphaba Effect, as she liked to call it. It _had_ been worth it.

The next was a compilation of different pictures, taken on various occasions, with the caption **Favourite Musical Theatre Actresses: 3. Rachel Berry**.

_Well, it's not first, but I will graciously accept third. Wait until you see Love Never Dies. I'll show you _third_. If my vocal chords don't violently rupture before then, that is._

She grinned widely as the next picture scrolled onto the screen, a picture she recognised well after having taken it herself. Scrolling past the picture of her and the nice girl with purple hair, she scanned the caption and hashtags with a small smile.

**#still the best day of my life #rachel berry #so lovely #shes honestly so sweet #hope we meet again #love her #cannot WAIT to see Love Never Dies #wicked #company #love never dies #me #my face #rachel fucking berry #!**

Chuckling to herself, she clicked on to the girl's blog, desperately wracking her brain to remember the girl's name before it popped up on the screen, and she grinned. _Suzy._ That was her. She bookmarked the page for later, making a mental note to contact her as soon as Love Never Dies hit Broadway. There was no way she'd be able to get free tickets for the opening night - she and Jess were already stretching their liberties to the max to invite their _horde_ of friends - but after a couple of weeks it shouldn't be a problem.

Clicking back to the previous page contentedly, she took another sip of her wine and smiled, but her face fell suddenly as the next round of posts appeared. The next was a paparazzi shot of her, walking along one of the streets that led to their (_her, _she corrected bitterly) neighbourhood in the sunshine, a smoothie clasped in one hand and Sam's hand surrounding her other. She was grinning up at him, squinting against the bright light as they strolled side-by-side, the boy clad in his usual garishly-printed board shorts, his tshirt stretching across his broad shoulders.

It was like a bus had veered into her chest. She sighed heavily, her good mood instantly vanishing as she scrutinised the picture. Sam's other hand was in the air, gesticulating wildly as he spoke. She could remember it vividly. He was telling her a story about one of the models he was working with who had thrown a huge tantrum, acting out all of the characters exaggeratedly and with ridiculous voices. He had had her clutching her sides with laughter before advising her to _never _be a diva unless she wanted to be some random employee's stupid story to tell his girlfriend. Solid advice that she still _tried_ to adhere to.

The caption underneath read **Rachel Berry's New Mystery Man?** It was dated from only a month or so ago, and she shook her head bitterly, hoping to God that no one else would get this story and run with it. She supposed the story _had_ been true, but that was a long time ago, and the last thing she needed was for anyone to start digging up old pictures and memories and thrusting them in her face.

Although to be fair, she had gone _actively_ seeking pictures of herself. She supposed she deserved it.

"Okay..." She took a deep breath, closing the tab decisively and linking her fingers, stretching her arms out in front of her. "Let's do this."

Uneasiness curled and twisted in the pit of her stomach, but she forced it away as she took a large gulp from her glass of wine, her gaze trained on her laptop screen and opened another tab, performing another quick search and clicking the first link that appeared.

**Beautiful three bed, three bath-**

_No. Too big._

**Four bedroomed-**

_Far too big_.

She sighed, closing the tab and opening a new one, filling out another search and taking another sip of her wine as she waited for the results to load.

**Totally renovated five bedroom–**

_Hell no, unless I want to be rattling around like one of those scary ghost children. _She shuddered_._

**Charming ranch located in a quiet suburb. Two bedrooms, one full bathroom. Hardwood floors, brand new roof situated in a fantastic school district.**

_That's more like it._ She thought with a grin, flicking through the pictures and chewing thoughtfully on her lip. Switching across to her online banking, she checked the balance on her savings account and nodded to herself.

She could do it. One phone call, a viewing. She could pay up front, there'd be no way anyone would say no to her. She could do it. She could buy a house. Quinn and Santana were proof that the city links were appropriate. It wouldn't be too much of a chore commuting to the city every day for rehearsals, and she'd be _so _much closer to everyone.

She sighed.

She had never felt alone in New York City, even before she met Santana. The city had always been home to her, and she somehow found solace in the bustling streets full of strangers. She knew it often felt lonely to some people, but she thrived here. But was it time to throw in the towel? Everyone else was moving on with their lives, maybe she should, too.

Or was she just chasing after a life that wasn't hers? Would she even have a place in their lives if she did move closer? Or was she just being desperate and pathetic?

_Oh, what the fuck am I doing? Get a grip, Rachel._

She growled under her breath, closing all of the tabs and shoving her laptop away onto the cushion beside her. Sighing heavily, she took another large gulp of her wine, draining the glass, before shaking her head and pushing herself off the couch. She gazed around her empty apartment for a moment, before nodding decisively.

"Come on. Suck it up." She murmured to herself, shaking out her tense shoulders, "What would Barbara do?" She shrugged, "Well, she certainly wouldn't sit around feeling sorry for herself." Pulling her phone from her pocket, she scrolled down until she found the contact she was looking for, "I need...to get..._laid_."

She pressed call, lifting the phone to her ear and taking a deep, calming breath as she waited for her colleague to answer.

"Hello?"

"Hi. Jesse."

She could hear the man grinning down the phone at her, and couldn't help but smile herself, "Well, well, well, Miss Berry. Has my incessant pestering for a date finally paid off?"

"Yes, I can confirm that." She nodded firmly, before grimacing and taking a deep breath, "You suggested dinner this weekend?"

"I did indeed." Jesse confirmed, "Would you like to take me up on that offer?"

Rachel paused for a moment, before nodding again and forcing herself to speak, "Yes and no."

"Ooh, cryptic." The boy chuckled, "You keep me on my toes, Miss Berry."

"Well, I don't want you getting too cocky. Your head already barely fits through the stage door." She teased, "I was thinking maybe we could push our date up to tonight...and maybe skip dinner?"

Silence.

She grimaced with embarrassment, screwing her eyes shut and slumping back on the couch, wishing she had never called at all.

"Oh...kay? If you're sure?" Jesse replied, sounding slightly puzzled.

"I _am_ sure." She grinned, "I'll text you my address."

"Uh, great. I'll be there in half an hour."

"Great." She replied stiltedly, before adding, "Um, Jesse? Just to be clear, this is a one-time thing. It doesn't change _anything_ at work and we don't _tell_ anyone at work and..."

"No strings." He nodded, still grinning, "That's fine."

Breathing a sigh of relief, she pushed herself upright again and began stripping off as she made her way to the bathroom, "Okay, great."

"One second." Jesse interjected, suddenly sounding suspicious, "This isn't all a clever ruse to get me to rehearse more is it?"

Fizzing excitement was beginning to replace the worry and unease in the pit of her stomach, and she giggled, "As if you need it. Although..." She paused, chewing at her bottom lip before taking a risk and blurting, "It'll be interesting to see if I can get you to hit a high C. I'll give it my best shot." She added seductively, hanging up before the boy had chance to reply.

With a deep breath, she fired off a quick text with directions before stepping into the shower, allowing the hot water to wash away the tension in her back. If she couldn't keep up with the rest of her friends, she'd at least celebrate being single.

_Because fuck that. _She thought determinedly, _I'm Rachel fucking Berry. (!)_


	3. Gossip

"No Rachel tonight?" Santana frowned as she wriggled down into the large beanbag, "I thought she was coming?"

Jess shook her head as she knelt down by the log burner, stoking the flames, "She's got voice coaching so she stayed after rehearsals. Or so she said."

"She'll need it to hit those notes." Quinn reasoned, grimacing slightly as she shook her head, "I know she's amazing and everything, but Miss Daae is a whole new level."

"It's paying off." The girl nodded as she stood up and crossed to her couch to sit down beside Quinn whilst Brittany poured out four glasses of wine, "She can belt like the best of them."

Brittany grinned, her eyebrows raised as she sat down on the other bean bag in the cozy snug, "And how's it been working with Rach?"

"Surprisingly annoying." Jess nodded.

"You're _surprised_?" Santana snorted, "She's always been annoying."

"Yes, but at work she reached _whole new levels _of annoying." She replied, wiggling her eyebrows mock-excitedly, "_That's _the surprise!"

Quinn tutted disapprovingly, "She can't be _that _bad."

The English girl stared stonily, "I had six existential crises before lunch."

"Awh," Brittany sighed with disappointment, "And you were so looking forward to it."

"No, I'm being too hard on her." Jess waved a hand vaguely as she tucked her feet under Quinn's blanket, "It's fun, she just has an _incredible _work ethic. And an incredible amount of ideas for improvement."

Santana shrugged, swallowing her sip of wine before reasoning, "At least she has her career to channel it into now, though. For three years when she was trying to break into show business _I _was her project." She rolled her eyes, leaning forwards to scoop a handful of nibbles from the bowl on the coffee table.

"How did _that_ go?" Jess sniggered.

Quinn raised an eyebrow, "Evidently not that well."

"It doesn't surprise me that she's all guns blazing." Brittany mused, oblivious to Santana glaring playfully at her wife, "She's been more focused than ever since she and Sam broke up."

"I know." Santana frowned, "I kind of feel like she should be getting back to normal by now? I don't mean to sound insensitive, more...concerned." She shrugged, "But it's been _two_ years."

Brittany shook her head slowly, "Usually she just sleeps around for a month or two and then snaps back to being eerily positive about things."

"She's in a rut." The brunette nodded as Jess sucked her teeth.

"Well, maybe she'll calm down soon, then." She remarked absent-mindedly.

Quinn frowned, "What does that mean?"

The other girls turned to stare at her and Jess slowly looked up, before she shook her head quickly, "What?"

"You have gossip!" Santana accused, pointing her finger at the girl, who recoiled slightly, her eyes wide, "My senses are tingling!"

"Ew."

"It's nothing!" Jess shrugged.

"So there is something!" Brittany grinned, struggling against the bean bag to sit forwards excitedly, "You _have _to tell us. Plus, as my wife, you promised to obey me!"

Jess rolled her eyes, gulping her wine, as Quinn raised an eyebrow, "Slight abuse of power but alright- tell us!"

"Just tell us." Santana urged, "We won't say anything until she tells us herself. Promise."

"Which, let's face it, won't be long." Brittany shrugged, "Because Rachel is _terrible _at keeping a secret."

Santana's nose wrinkled in disgust, "Especially where her lady parts are concerned."

"You would know." Jess interjected.

"It's been _four years!_"

Quinn growled loudly, bringing their attention back to the point as her gaze bore into the side of her best friend's head, "Just tell us!"

"I think she's doing it with Jesse, the guy playing the Phantom." She finally relented, holding her arms out in an indignant shrug.

"Are you sure you're not jumping to conclusions?" Quinn asked knowingly, one eyebrow raised.

Brittany nodded, "Yeah, what makes you think that?"

"I saw them." Jess replied bluntly, rolling her eyes. "They were doing it in the dimmer room when everyone else had gone for lunch. I was late so I ran through the tunnel."

"What?" Santana grinned excitedly, her eyebrows shooting skywards, "When?"

"Why are you only telling us _now_?" Her wife insisted, and Jess sighed impatiently.

"It only _happened_ today! Jesus. Calm the _fuck_ down."

Santana grinned smugly as she sat back, relishing in taking a large sip of her wine, "Hopefully she'll tell us herself soon so we can get the _real _gossip."

"Well there's enough fake gossip going round that theatre to last me a lifetime." Jess remarked, rolling her eyes. "I dunno how Rachel does this _all_ the time, everyone's so bitchy."

Quinn frowned thoughtfully, "I don't think it's _always _like that though? You loved your Singing in the Rain cast, and Rachel's seemed to get along with all her others really well in the past."

"Or did they just hate her quietly?" Brittany mused with a chuckle.

"Noonein this cast hates her." Jess defended, shaking her head, "They just hate each _other. _Who got understudy and who got second understudy and who's listed as swing instead of chorus when whoever else got listed as chorus and why. It's bloody madness." She rolled her eyes as she reached for a handful of the nibbles, sighing steadily.

"They probably hate _you _then." Quinn nodded mock-seriously, but her friend's eyes grew wide as her head snapped up.

"What do you mean?"

Santana nodded slowly, her brows creased, "She's got a point. A dancer - not _actress_ \- that people have barely heard of, _swooping_ _in_ and taking a principle role? I'd bet your face goes on the dart board before Rachel's does." She shrugged, waving her finger at the girl matter-of-factly.

Jess' face slowly fell as she gazed numbly around, "Oh my God, you're right. They probably fucking hate me. Oh my God, _Rachel _is my _only_ _friend_. And she's too busy having sex with the _Phantom_. What has _happened _to me?"

"Don't worry!" Brittany shook her head as she flopped back into her beanbag, "We're just teasing, I'm sure _nobody _hates you."

"Besides, who cares if they did?" Quinn shrugged, rolling her eyes, "You're going to be amazing and it's not your fault that you're better than them."

Santana's nose wrinkled with disgust, "Oh, I feel the presence of the Ghost of Berry Past again."

"She's right." The tall blonde nodded encouragingly, "Why should you feel bad? You left your perfect girlfriend and incredible life to work super hard on Cats-"

"Had to include that, didn't you?" Jess interjected with a smirk.

"-and you were the _lead_ _role _of Singing in the Rain - just because it was in the UK doesn't make it any less of an achievement. I bet none of _them_ have that kind of experience." Brittany shrugged.

"You do deserve it." Quinn added, "And you're going to be the best Meg they've ever seen."

Jess scoffed playfully, "Well, of course I am." She replied reasonably, "Meg Giri is my spirit animal."

Santana frowned, "She's a Coney Island homicidal prostitute." She pointed out, her eyes narrowed.

The other girl nodded incredulously, "Yes. She speaks to me."

"I _am_ jealous of you, though." Santana sighed, "I don't know how many times Rachel has annoyed me and I've _dreamed _of shoo-"

_"Spoiler alert!"_ Jess suddenly roared, clapping her hands over Brittany's ears.

The blonde shook her head adamantly, "Shut the fuck up!"

Santana rolled her eyes, "Fine, sorry! But just so you know, I'm going to sit next to you in the theatre, and I will watch as you become _enthralled _in the dramatic tension, then _just _before it happens I'm going to lean over and whisper the ending. So quietly that you'll barely even notice at first, then you'll realise what I said and the last two hours of your life will have been a _complete_ waste of time and you will _die inside._"

Brittany stared stonily back at the girl, considering a biting comeback, before smiling sweetly, "Feel free. Two hours of watching my _beautiful_ wife performing on stage could _never _be a waste."

Jess nodded her approval, "Right answer." She chuckled, "Anyway! Less about me, how's all your adoption shit going?"

"'Your adoption shit.'" Quinn repeated sarcastically, "Well _you've_ just been bumped down the Godmother list, but otherwise, great!" She grinned.

"No seriously."

Santana shrugged, smiling nervously, "We're just waiting. We've had all the house checks and interviews and everything."

"Someone has deemed Santana capable of taking care of and sustaining another human life." Quinn added and Brittany snorted.

"That says more about _their_ mental state than hers."

The brunette rolled her eyes as she continued, "So yeah, we're just...waiting. Which is no fun."

"It shouldn't be too long though." Quinn shrugged, "They've found someone for us who wants a closed adoption. She just wants to...give her baby away and know nothing else about it."

Jess raised an eyebrow, "How come? Do you know _anything_ about her?"

"Absolutely nothing, aside from the fact that there are no discrepancies in her family medical history." The blonde replied, her mouth twisting thoughtfully.

"So closed adoption? That means you'll never hear from her?" Brittany asked with a small frown.

Santana nodded, "Yup. We weren't really intent on having one - we didn't mind either way - but that's what the mother wants and it's probably best this way?" She shrugged, glancing to Quinn, who nodded, "So we'll get a fresh newborn to name and have as our own and everything."

"Have you thought about names?" Jess grinned, and the blonde nodded again.

"We have...but we don't know whether it's a boy or girl until we get the baby so we're not telling anyone our ideas. You have to wait to meet him or her." She grinned as the girls groaned.

Jess sighed wistfully, "I can't wait."


	4. Liquid Ass

**Well hey gang! It's been a while, and for that I solemnly apologise! So here's a few updates in one, I was going to upload the next few chapters steadily over a series of months but then didn't have access to my computer and everything went to shift and 2016 has basically been as much of a load of bollocks as it has been for most people! **

**For this reason I also apologise that some of the formatting isn't quite right and shit. I apologise, but hopefully you'll still enjoy the next few chapters just as much! And I promsie, there is still more to follow.**

**Merry Fucking Christmas, Gleeks! Love you still xx**

* * *

"Hey, I brought a slice of Jess' birthday cake each." Quinn grinned as she poked her head around the bathroom door, "Do you want yours now or shall I wait until you're done?"

"Um..." The brunette frowned down at the baby on her lap before shrugging, "I could manage it now. Thanks, just put it on the side so grabby hands here doesn't knock it into the water." She chuckled, bouncing her knees and grinning down at the baby girl, who had Santana's index fingers clamped tightly in her hands.

Quinn placed the plate gently on the bathroom counter before sitting herself on the toilet seat, yawning widely, "If you can't manage both I'll get her out and dry her off while you finish?" She offered, plucking the chocolate number three from her cake and biting it in half.

"No, I'm sure I'll be fine." Santana shrugged, "We can manage both, can't we, Izzy? Yes we can. We can multi-task. Because we're _very_ clever like that." She nodded as the baby stared up at her, "You get that from Mami." She added in a whisper, winking cheekily at her daughter.

The blonde chuckled softly as she watched them, Santana now lunging forwards and backwards and making Isla gurgle and giggle as she gave her a large, toothless grin. She sighed wistfully, "I can't _wait_ for Brittany to drop."

Santana glanced up, her brows knitted together curiously, "What do you mean?"

"Well Peggy's a gorgeous kid but she's almost four now - I know it's not _much_ older than Isla but it feels like it. When Hugo-slash-Alfie arrives at least they'll be the same age, you know? They'll all grow up together." She shrugged, attempting to disguise her wide grin until Isla turned curiously to stare at her, and she began beaming down at the baby and pulling faces.

"I suppose." Santana nodded, "I wonder if Jess and Brittany will _always_ do everything exactly a year after us." She chuckled, "I bet _really_ they want two kids, but they're waiting for us to have our second before they do."

Quinn rolled her eyes playfully, "I think as we're getting older you're just bitter that Jess has only just turned thirty."

"Whatever." The brunette scoffed, "Hardly. She's only two years and eight months younger, _anyway_."

"Not that you're counting."

Santana looked up to glare at her wife, but Quinn was already beaming at her, and she couldn't resist reluctantly grinning in return. "I just can't believe we're in our _thirties_." She chuckled, shaking her head incredulously as she turned back to the baby on her lap, cradling her gently as she reached forward to cut off a bite of her cake, "I always thought I'd go out in a blaze of glory at about twenty-eight so I never had to deal with ageing."

"Well, you don't have that option anymore." The blonde sniggered, and Santana rolled her eyes.

"Well, _obviously_." She agreed with a nod, "I wouldn't want to anyway. I have _everything_."

Quinn nodded thoughtfully, "I still don't have a new van to get between the bakeries, but _otherwise_ I have everything."

"Ungrateful." Santana replied teasingly.

The blonde placed her empty plate on the side, dropping to her knees on the bathroom floor and crawling across to the edge of the bath. She rested her arm along the side, her chin on her forearm as she reached out to gently swipe beads of water away from her daughter's eyes with her finger, "No. We _do_ have everything." She turned her head to smile softly at her wife, who grinned back, "I love you."

"I love you, too. And thank you."

Quinn raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

"For _giving_ me everything." Santana replied without missing a beat, "As far as I'm concerned, our life is perfect. Every day you remind me of how lucky I am, and I never thought my life could ever be this...wholesome. So thank you."

The blonde grinned slowly, before nodding, "It _is_ pretty perfect." She agreed, leaning forward to press her lips to her wife's, smiling through the kiss.

Santana took a deep breath, allowing her eyes to flutter closed as she rested her forehead against Quinn's, enjoying the rare moment of silence in their usually-bustling house. Her brow creased slightly as she felt something brush against her thigh, reaching out to swipe it away with her hand. She was vaguely irritated by the interruption until she heard Isla make a familiar gurgling noise, and her eyes snapped open as she turned to face the baby, suddenly shouting out and making Quinn recoil with confusion.

"Oh my God, Quinn! She's shitting in my bath, she's _shitting_ in my _bath_!" She screamed as she placed her hands around Isla's ribs, hoisting the baby straight into the air and holding her at arm's length, "Oh. Oh my god, _ew_! Isla that is disgusting."

Quinn laughed loudly as she stood up, clutching at her stomach as various brown smudges floated around her wife and mixed with the bath water. More were falling from her daughter as Santana attempted to move out of the firing line whilst avoiding the existing hazards, screaming consistently as the blonde held her hands out.

"What do you want _me_ to do with her?" She asked shrilly through her giggles, "I'm not carrying her across the bathroom or we'll just have shit all over the floor to clean, too!"

"You could remove her from a position where her liquid _ass_ is going all over my _bare skin_!" Santana squealed, thrusting the baby at Quinn, who ripped the towel from the rail before wrapping their baby in it, bundling her up and resting the girl on her hip as Isla finally gave a giggle of relief.

She turned back to where Santana had hopped out of the bath as quickly as possible, standing naked in the middle of the room, her eyes wide and traumatised. Quinn frowned, opening her mouth to complain about the ruined towel, but upon seeing her wife's face she smirked, forcing herself to control the giggles that were still bubbling in her chest as she shrugged awkwardly, "We'll just call this one a write-off, then?"

"Get me a towel."


	5. The Lyric

"I have _big_ news!" Rachel screamed as she ran through Santana's front door, relieved that it was already unlocked - that would have been painful. "I have _huge_ news!" She grinned, swinging around the large archway as she dipped her head into the living room. Finding it empty, she returned to the hall to shout up the stairs, "I said I have _HUGE_...news." She screamed, finally sighing heavily and crossing into the kitchen, ready to put the coffee machine on for when Santana or Quinn finally surfaced.

As she entered the room, she stopped suddenly, finding a huge pair of brown eyes staring back at her.

"Well, hello." She she greeted suspiciously, crossing to the baby on the countertop and glancing around, "Do you know where either of your mommies are? Because I have huge news and they're being really crappy friends right now. No? Okay." She nodded, lifting Isla from the kitchen counter and cradling her in her arms, sitting the girl on her hip, "So why are you here on your own? That is not very good parenting at all." She remarked, crossing back to the hall to look up, hoping for any sign of movement, "But then again, Jess is looking forward to slam-dunking Hugo into the couch when he grows and he's only a newborn. So it could be worse, I guess."

She frowned - the house seemed silent - and moved back into the living room, where she perched on the edge of the sofa, jiggling the baby up and down and blowing raspberries on her stomach, "So where the _hell_ are your parents? Did they forget you? Have they gone out and left the most gorgeous girl in the world behind? No, they could never forget _you_." She reasoned as the baby giggled, "Or maybe they don't know you're here? Did you somehow escape their clutches and make a bid for freedom but could only remember your way home? If that's true then you're really _very_ smart."

"Rachel?"

She breathed a huge sigh of relief that she didn't realise had been trapped in her chest, as she heard Santana's voice from the hallway, the garage door thudding shut behind her.

"Thank God!" She grinned, turning as the brunette bustled in, her arms laden with bags of groceries, "Hey! I have _big_ news! But first, why has your child been sitting alone here for at least ten minutes?"

Santana shrugged as she unloaded the bags onto the counter, "UGh, one of the bags split and everything was _all_ _over_ the floor, besides Quinn's home."

"Um, no she isn't?" Rachel frowned, "Or if she is, she's purposefully avoiding me and her unattended child. or she left you. Which I _seriously_ hope she didn't, because if she did I am going to look like the _worst_!"

The other girl waved a hand vaguely as she began unpacking her shopping, "She'll be in the attic doing accounts or stock or something boring. She's officially turned it into her office now that she's sure Hayley isn't moving back in, and ever since she opened the second store she's been working _non-stop_."

"I'm not surprised, it's hard being a career woman and a mother."

Santana snorted, "How would you know?"

"Well," Rachel replied bluntly with a shrug, "everyone says it is."

The taller girl nodded, "Well, take it from someone who knows - it _is_."

Rachel winced sympathetically as she took a seat at the breakfast bar, allowing Isla to sit on the top, crawling back and forth, "Yeah, how's _that_ going?"

"Ugh." She rolled her eyes, "Awful. I've barely been back two months after finishing maternity leave and I'm already _exhausted_." She chuckled, "And that's only on part-time! God knows what we'll do if-" she caught herself suddenly, her words falling short as she quickly buried her head in the fridge whilst she struggled to think of a cover-up, "when Izzy gets older. I'm sure she'll only be more trouble." She gave a nervous giggle as she crumpled the grocery bags, "_Anyway_! I'm so sorry. You had news. What is it?"

The smaller girl grinned widely as she picked Isla up around the middle, lifting her into the air and holding her out to her friend, "Well, _maybe_ if you take your child you might _notice_."

Santana raised an eyebrow, leaning forwards to take hold of her daughter as Rachel wiggled her fingers. She gasped suddenly, squealing loudly and taking Isla from the girl, hoisting her straight onto her hip before grabbing Rachel's left hand and tugging her closer.

"Oh my God! Are you kidding me?" She beamed, "No way! How did he ask? Have you told Brittany and Jess yet? Oh my God, _QUINN_!" She roared, and Rachel giggled as Santana peered down at her ring, "Awh, it's _gorgeous_! Did he pick it all by himself?"

"Yes he did." Rachel giggled, "He has fabulous style, _obviously_."

Santana nodded, "Well, he's marrying you."

"Jesse chose it by himself, and he asked me last night!" She beamed, biting down on her lip giddily, "We went for dinner, I thought it was just because yesterday was pay day but then...it wasn't."

Santana moved round to sit beside her best friend, placing Isla in her high chair and reaching for a toy from the counter to entertain the baby as she turned her attention to the girl, "So he did it over dinner?"

"No." Rachel shook her head, grinning madly, "Although he insisted on paying for dinner even though I'm sure it was _horrendously_ expensive. Then after dinner we went for a walk around because he knows I _love_ my city at night." She beamed, despite rolling her eyes self-deprecatingly.

"Empire State Building?"

"No."

"Brooklyn Bridge?" Santana guessed again, ignoring her friend's look of impatience.

"No."

She frowned, "Well then, where did he do it? They're your favourite spots." She shrugged, but Rachel's grin only widened further.

"Better." She gushed, her hands clasped tightly in front of her as her excitement threatened to bubble over into an all-out squealing fit. "He had the stage door man give him the keys to The Lyric."

Santana's lip curled in confusion, "The Lyric? But you don't work there anymore."

"I _know_!" Rachel grinned, "How cute is _that_?! We don't even work there anymore but he still managed to get access backstage! Then he led me out into the middle of the stage, and obviously it was pitch black, so he had a string of battery-powered fairy lights shaped like hearts." She giggled at the memory, "It was so dumb. And he was saying about the day he met me, and how he's spent his life under the spotlight, but he was still blinded when he first laid eyes on me." She bowed her head bashfully.

"Oh my god, am I tearing up?" Santana admitted in a whisper, blinking furiously. "I'm not crying..._you're_ crying."

Rachel swallowed, nodding quickly before taking a deep breath, "And then he asked me to marry him. In the middle of the stage, on the _exact_ spot that we first met, in my favourite theatre on earth." She grinned, her voice dropping into a hoarse whisper as her eyes stung with joyous tears, "And it was _perfect_."

"Good." Santana grinned, standing up and grabbing the girl, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug as she laughed, "Good. You _deserve_ perfect. And I'm _so_ happy for you!" She finally released the girl, holding her at arms length for a second before squealing and rushing forwards once more, crushing the girl in another embrace, "Congratulations! _Quinn_!" She screamed again suddenly, in the direction of the hallway.

"Thank you!" Rachel laughed, the words coming out in a rush as all the air was expelled from her lungs, "And I..." She finally struggled out of the girl's grip, breathing heavily, "And I wanted to tell you _first..._because I want to ask you a favour."

Santana grinned, "What? Anything!"

"Okay..." The girl gave a slow nod preparing herself and taking a deep breath, "Will you be my maid of honour?"

"What? Of _course_!" She laughed, "But are you sure? I mean, you _lived_ with Brittany and Quinn is _so_ organised and I'm really not and-"

"Santana." The girl cut her off swiftly, instantly silencing the girl. She shook her head seriously, "It couldn't be anyone but you."

The taller girl swallowed, averting her gaze and brushing nonchalantly at her eyes, attempting to detract attention from her streaming tears, "Wow. Where the hell is Quinn?" She shook her head faux-incredulously, attempting to slow her rapid breathing, "She's definitely home somewhere."

"It's fine." Rachel shook her head, placing a gentle hand on Santana's arm, "You can tell her later. I'm going for lunch with Brittany now anyway, so I'll tell _her_ and then we'll arrange to have some real celebrations."

Santana nodded excitedly, "Yeah we will! We'll get baby sitters and _everything_."

"Awesome." The girl grinned, until her friend wrapped her up in a tight embrace once more.

"I'm _so_ happy for you. And I'd love to be your maid of honour."

Rachel nodded into her shoulder, "I know you are. But soon we have to _actually_ plan a wedding, that's when the real fun starts."

"Don't I know it?" Santana snorted as they began meandering to the door, "I still have the PTSD-style flashbacks from Quinn morphing into bridezilla!"

"Well I'll _try_ to be more reasonable, but..."

The girl scoffed, "Pfft! You're the diva of the group! I'd expect nothing less."

"Okay, well, I'll call you later or tomorrow or something."

"Deal." She nodded, waving the girl off down the drive before turning back to the house with a small frown. She crossed through to the kitchen, retrieving the baby girl from her chair and carrying her upstairs to investigate her wife's disappearance. Striding from room to room, the lines on her forehead only deepened as she found the blonde was nowhere to be found. On her second round of checking the attic, nursery and their bedroom, she finally sighed heavily, leaning back against the bannister.

"Where the fuck can you have gone?" She murmured, before starting suddenly as the bathroom door in front of her was yanked open.

"Santana?" The blonde hissed, only her face visible around the crack in the door.

"_There_ you are! What are you doing?" She asked disbelievingly, "Rachel was downstairs and I have _huge_ news to tell you!" She grinned excitedly, before frowning once more, "What are you doing?"

Quinn shrugged, opening and closing her mouth a few times before finally mumbling, "I just felt a little...sick...weird. I'm fine." She shook her head firmly, before grinning and following the girl out onto the landing, pulling the door closed behind her. "Sorry. So, Rachel? Big news?" She dried her sweaty palms on her jeans as they jogged down the stairs, "What is it?"

Santana grinned, "You can have three guesses, but you'll only need one." She sing-songed, crossing into the living room and placing Isla on her play-mat.

"Jesse proposed?" Quinn guessed, her eyes wide with hope until Santana nodded, and she whooped loudly, punching her fist into the air. "Oh, that's awesome! How did he do it?"

"Get _this_..." She began, holding her hands out in front of her to increase the tension before she cracked, "He proposed surrounded by fairy lights, in the centre of the stage at The Lyric theatre, in the exact spot where they first met. Is that the cutest or is that the cutest?"

Quinn's hands flew to her mouth as her expression crumpled with adoration, "Awh, that is so sweet! I'm so glad she found Jesse." She sighed contentedly, "He's such a great guy. What are you doing?" She suddenly turned her attention to her daughter with a grin as the girl pulled herself up on the edge of the couch, before Quinn caught her around the waist and lifted her high into the air.

"I know right?" Santana nodded as she sat back on the couch, watching her daughter flying up and down, "At first I thought he was _maybe_ a little arrogant, but he's actually just kind of sarcastic in a really dry way. I like that about him."

The blonde snorted, "That's because you're so much like him." She nodded, dropping the girl down to head height and blowing a raspberry on her exposed neck as the baby giggled, "Which is _also_ why you were at such loggerheads when you first started working with them."

Santana rolled her eyes, "He was just a pusher for deadlines and _I'm_ _sorry_ but I had a baby to look after, too!" She defended passionately, "You can't write a song in like...a day. And I'm not going to send Rachel out to perform with some mediocre _jingle_. I wanted it to be good."

"And it was." The blonde nodded tightly.

"_Anyway_." The brunette grinned, placated, "So she's telling Brittany at lunch today, and she asked me to be her Maid of Honour!" She clapped her hands excitedly, but Quinn's jaw dropped open, "What? What's the matter?"

The blonde swallowed, forcing a smile and shaking her head quickly, "Nothing! That's amazing! Great. That'll be so much..._fun_."

"Oh, come on." Santana groaned softly, shifting across to take the girl' hand, "I know, I just went back to work and everything's been _kind_ of...crazy with the IVF and everything." She tilted her head, "But it'll be _fine_. We won't have to spend _every_ waking hour doing wedding stuff and I _promise_ I won't let it take over and just abandon you with Izzy all the time."

"I know that." Her wife nodded, leaning over to place a gentle peck on her cheek, "You're just gonna be really busy. And I'm gonna be really busy. And we are going to be really, _very_ busy."

Santana shook her head, "No, it'll be fine. I promise we'll make it work and still make _so_ much time to spend together."

The girl nodded, "Yeah, um." She swallowed hard, "What I mean is that...we'll be planning for Rachel's wedding, and that's amazing." She kept nodding as she struggled to find the words. Her sweaty hand fumbled as she pulled it away from Santana's and buried it in her hoody pocket, "But...we're actually going to have _some_ planning...of our _own_ to do."

The brunette frowned slightly, "What? What do you mean?"

Quinn took a deep breath, swallowing hard before pulling the plastic stick from her pocket, her lips pursed. She watched the girl's eyes, clouded with confusion, as they darted to the test and back to her, before she nodded, finally breathing, "I'm pregnant."

"You're..." Santana eyebrows shot skywards as her jaw dropped open. Her chest was tight, and she wasn't entirely convinced that any air was even entering her lungs at all. She stared down at the pregnancy test, her breathing shallow as her suddenly blurred gaze focused on the two thin lines. Looking back up to the blonde's tentative grin, she licked her lips as the corners of her mouth began to stretch open in a wide smile, "You're pregnant. It took." She murmured disbelievingly as Quinn nodded. "It took. It actually..._took_. You're pregnant."

"You're damn right it took." Quinn grinned, finally dropping the stick and tossing it gently onto the coffee table, taking a deep breath, "First time!" She giggled excitedly, "_And it took_!"

Santana laughed out loud, her voice slightly shrill from the shock of it all before she bundled the baby from Quinn's arms, sitting her on the couch beside them before wrapping her wife in a tight hug, dragging her to her feet as they rocked backwards and forwards on the spot, "Oh my God! Oh my God, you're pregnant!"

"I am _so_ pregnant!" Quinn giggled, allowing the girl to lift her off her feet before quickly tapping her on the shoulders, "Woah! _Woah_. Baby in here now. Baby in here." She grinned, pulling away slightly and pointing down to her stomach as her wife set her back on her feet.

The brunette gasped slowly as they came to a stand still, nodding her head, "On my God, you're right." She grinned, a wondrous expression taking over her features as she gazed down at the girl's stomach, "You're right. There's a _baby_ in there." She chuckled softly, glancing back up to see Quinn watching her, enraptured and grinning widely as she nodded, "You're precious cargo now, sweetie. You're having our baby. Did you hear that Izzy?" She chuckled, moving over to lift their daughter onto her hip, "_You're_ gonna be a big sister."


	6. English

"Britts?" Jess began thoughtfully, her gaze still trained on the television screen and her head resting on the blonde's chest.

She raised an eyebrow, "Jess?"

"What are you going to _be_?"

Brittany frowned, "Um..."

"Like, what will you be called?" She asked with a small frown, shifting on the sofa and turning to look at her wife.

The blonde opened her mouth to reply, shutting it again with narrowed eyes, before suggesting, "...Brittany?" She shrugged, before shaking her head and pressing pause on the remote, "What are we taking about here, honey?"

"When...you _know_." Jess shrugged, before pointing a finger to the blonde's swollen tummy, "When little Hugo Poppy Alfie Kara arrives? What do you think you'll get our kids to call you?"

Brittany tilted her head thoughtfully, before shrugging, "Probably just...mommy?" She chuckled, before gaging her wife's concerned frown, and sitting up, "You seem to be pretty bothered about this. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." Jess sighed, leaning her shoulder against the back of the couch and tracing the design on the blonde's t-shirt, "It's just, like...well, we've never had an issue with the whole English and American thing, what with you barely seeing your mum because of her travelling and we Skype with my parents all the time and I avoid Welly at all costs because he's a massive bellend."

"_Uncle_ Welly." Brittany pointed out, her lip curling with distaste, "But let's not focus on that."

Jess nodded firmly, "_Please_ let's not. But now...we're bringing a child into the world who's going to be half me and half you - kind of - and, well, what do we call ourselves?" She shrugged, her eyes growing wider and wider as she rambled, "Because if I still lived in England and I was raising a purely English child with a nice English lady-"

"Okay, pull back there."

"Then one of us could be mum and the other would be mam or _whatever_. Santana and Quinn! Q gets called mom and Santana is Mami because she has culture on her side. But when I say the word 'mom' is sounds fucking ridiculous. It doesn't work in my accent! Mom. _Mom_." She repeated in various voices, "I sound like a puffer fish!" Her voice was loud and high-pitched now, her arms waving wildly as she ranted, whilst Brittany stared back at her, her eyes brows raised in a mixture of bemusement and panicked horror. "And when you say mum? Does it work? Say it." The girl continued to stay, and Jess gave her a nudge with her fist, "Say it!"

"Mum." Brittany shrugged, the word alien to her, but her wife groaned loudly.

"No, that's fine! Of _course_ that's fine." She nodded firmly, "Everyone can be called whatever they want and I'll just _never_ refer to you as Mom because it sounds fucking stupid. I'm the _only_ _one_ who can't pull it off. I'm the only one that sounds _ridiculous_. Not that it matters _anyway_." She shrugged, her gaze darting around their cozy living room, "Because we're raising our children in _America_ so they'll be _American_ children and they'll speak like all of _your lot_ anyway! And no one will even _know_ that my kids have one English parent because they'll be raised here just like everyone else and they won't know what a Yorkshire pudding is-"

Suddenly the girl was on her feet, pacing back and forth on the carpet as Brittany manoeuvred herself to the edge of the sofa to sit upright, "Okay, Jess?"

"-and they won't get to eat Dairy Milk _or_ bacon that isn't shitty and burnt, they won't be able to go into a good pharmacist like _Boots_ that _doesn't_ sell cigarettes and alcohol-"

"Honey, it's fi-"

"-instead they'll have to do a _million_ sums a day because your tax system is _fucked_ and they'll never know the joy of an _actual_ real life English pub, and _oh_ my _God_ what if they _never_ see the John Lewis Christmas advert?" The girl finally stopped pacing in front of her, her chest heaving as she stared down at her pregnant wife, hands on her hips. "That is _fucked up_, Brittany."

The blonde stared up at her for a moment, her brows creased quizzically, before she burst out laughing. Her giggling sent her rolling back onto the sofa as she clutched at her rotund stomach, shaking her head incredulously as Jess' jaw dropped.

"Why are you _laughing_?" She asked, her face a picture of horror as she finally slumped, collapsing back on the sofa with a heavy sigh.

"Because...you have absolutely _no_ regard for anything that I'm terrified of." The blonde replied with a nod, "Jess...I am _so_ fucking scared." She admitted with a small chuckle, before taking a deep breath to calm her nerves, "I've never said it out loud but I am so _terrified_. The birth. What if I can't _do it _right? What if I'm not strong enough and I can't take it so I don't push properly and there's something wrong with our baby? What if I drop him or her, or something awful? They have really soft heads and I'm _pretty_ clumsy! What if I mix the milk wrong, or I get the mixtures confused?" She shrugged helplessly, her palms clammy and hands beginning to shake, "What if I just turn out exactly like my mom? Flighty and useless and irresponsible? I feel like...there is _so_ _much_ that I could do wrong...and you're worried that our child won't see the _John Lewis Christmas commercial_."

"Oh my God, you're right." Jess frowned, "I'm worrying about all the wrong things!"

"No! _No_, you're not." The blonde cut her off quickly, shaking her head as she leaned forward to clasp the girl's hands in her own. "You're worrying about the things that worry you. And I'm so grateful that _those_ are the things that you're worrying about."

Her wife stared back at her, her face twisted with a mixture of pity and confusion, "Oh no, pregnancy hormones are getting the better of you again."

Brittany let out a light, carefree giggle, and the brunette couldn't help but smile despite herself, the nagging terror in the pit of her stomach beginning to subside. After carrying it with her for almost twenty-one weeks now, she was glad she had finally confessed.

"No. They're not, Jess, I _promise_." Brittany smiled, stroking her thumb along the girl's knuckles gently. "I'm glad that the things you're worrying about are things like our children's identities, and _your_ identity. Because I'm terrified about becoming a mom - I don't know how to look after a baby - and I feel _better_ that those are things you're _not_ worrying about!" She paused for a moment, her brow furrowing slightly, "Which I suppose is no comfort to _you_, but it makes _me_ feel better."

"Well," Jess shrugged, taking a deep breath, "that's all that matters really, isn't it?" Smiling tentatively at the blonde, she reached out to place her hand over the girl's stomach, stroking gently back and forth. "As long as _you_ feel okay...we'll be okay..." She trailed off absent-mindedly, her gaze fixed on her wife's belly.

"No, _you_ need to be okay, too." The blonde replied quietly, "But hey, you already watch the John Lewis commercial online every year anyway." She pointed out, smiling softly, "Our kids _will_ speak like all of us. But they'll _also_ say 'chuck' and 'luvverly' and 'bloody hell' because they'll learn it from you! And we'll _make_ Yorkshire puddings, we'll get your _mum_ to send us Dairy Milk and _you_ can cook the bacon from now on and I'll just live with your weird, soft bacon!" She chuckled, her hand on Jess' leg and nails scraping across her knee, "But either way...Jess, we'll be fine." She shifted to face the girl, curling one leg under the other as she leaned over to take the girl's hands in her own again, "Living in America and raising our kids here doesn't make you _any_ less English, English." She chuckled, "I promise. Our kids are going to know _exactly_ where they come from, even if they don't live there."

"You're right." Jess nodded, giving her wife's hands a squeeze, "And you don't need to worry about us looking after a baby! Don't be daft, we look after Isla all the time and you've never dropped _her_." She chuckled earnestly, "You're brilliant with babies."

Brittany's mouth twisted in consideration as she shrugged one shoulder, "I suppose." She sighed, finally nodding her head and smiling at her wife, "Do you think Quinn and Santana freaked out like this?"

"No, of course not." Jess groaned, turning to sit straight again and extending her legs onto the coffee table, "Quinn will have read lots of books and Santana will have made some witty quips and they'll have laughed over how charming and successful they are and how charming and successful their beautiful children will be." She chuckled bitterly, as Brittany grinned, "Then Quinn will have made delicious cupcakes and Santana will have played an intricate soundtrack and - _this_ part we _know_ to be true - they'll have brought home the beautiful bundle of loveliness that is Izzy."

Brittany nodded enthusiastically, beaming down at her wife, "They will have. Fucking Quinn and Santana and their fucking perfect lives. Damn them."

"Although, do you want me to _really_ make you feel better?" She smirked, turning her head to raise an eyebrow at the blonde.

"That _depends_." She replied, brushing a strand of hair away from Jess's face. "Will it involve the possibility of mentally scarring our growing, unborn baby?"

Jess chuckled, but shook her head, taking a deep breath before answering, "Quinn told me a story about this time after Peggy's birthday, when Santana took Isla in the bath with her and Q went in to see them with cake-"

"Obviously." Brittany interjected with a nod.

"I know, right?" The brunette snorted, "Anyway, they were having this super lovely, like, _moment_...and then Izzy just shit _everywhere_!" She chortled, Brittany's eyes widening in horror before she laughed loudly, "And _all_ this shit was just _floating around_ Santana and she was screaming her head off, calling Isla's diarrhoea liquid ass!"

A few minutes later and Brittany's laughter was finally beginning to subside, and she shook her head incredulously, "Oh my God. Santana in a bath of baby shit. Who'd have _ever_ thought it?" She chuckled, grinning widely, "Wow. This is better than the time she had to change Rachel's dirty underwear while she hugged the toilet bowl." She nodded thoughtfully, "_Beautiful_."

"Do you feel better?" Jess grinned, chuckling softly.

"For the _first_ time during this pregnancy..." Brittany replied solemnly, "I feel like I'm glowing."


	7. Fairy Tale of New York

"Santana, will you get the door?" Quinn groaned from the sofa as Santana looked up from the kitchen, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"It's _right_ there, you're _so_ much closer and I'm making this." She gestured to the pan of vegetables on the stove and checking the turkey in the oven.

The blonde lifted her head from the cushions, turning to stare at her wife before replying, "I am currently growing and nurturing a tiny _fucking_ human being in my womb, which I am expected to _force_ out of an area that previously we were _both_ _very_ fond of, within the next hundred and sixty eight hours, _possibly_ causing me damage that can _only_ be repaired surgically."

"Fine." Santana sighed, nodding her head as she picked up the toy train from the floor and placed it back on the tray of Isla's chair, crossing the living room and heading to the door as Quinn beamed from the sofa. "Although for the record, I _did_ suggest adopting again."

"I know but I wanted one home-grown." She cooed, rubbing her rotund belly.

"I knew we shouldn't have let your mom go on vacation for the holidays." She murmured, taking a deep breath before pulling the door open, her arms already wide for the barrage of embraces that were piled upon her.

"Merry Christmas!" She shouted over the various other good wishes from her friends as they rushed into the hallway, removing hats and gloves as they did so."Happy Holidays!"

"Happy Hanukkah!" Rachel grinned as she surged past her, crossing straight to the fridge to abandon her dessert on a shelf, whilst Jesse gave her a clap on the back as he followed after her, removing his coat and taking his fiancée's.

Jess pulled her into a tight hug as she passed before hanging her coat on the peg and running into the living room to greet Quinn and cradle her bloated stomach.

"Thanks for your help!" Brittany called through as she rolled her eyes. "Here, take him." She bundled the baby across to Santana, thick snow suit and all, before unzipping her jacket and sliding it off her arms.

"Hey, Hugo!" Santana grinned, "Guess who's waiting for _you_ in the kitchen, handsome. That's right, it's Isla. Yes, I _know_ last time she scratched your face but we had words and that won't happen anymore."

Brittany reached out to unzip her son from his winter wear, pulling him from Santana's arms whilst leaving the suit behind. The brunette frowned, "How did you do that?" The girl didn't reply, and she folded the garment before leaving it on the hallway table.

"No Sam?" Jesse frowned as he sat down in the armchair, Rachel crossing to perch on the arm, Isla cradled on her knee.

"No, he's in Norway taking pictures of the Northern Lights." Quinn explained as Brittany placed Hugo on the carpet beside them.

Rachel tutted, "Lucky. I bet it's gorgeous."

"Does anybody want a drink?" Santana called as she moved back to the kitchen, and Jesse immediately stood up once more as the rest shouted their orders.

Quinn finally took a deep breath, pushing herself up off the sofa and crossing to retrieve various bottles and glasses, "I hope you two aren't talking about work." She warned playfully as she passed Jesse and Santana, who both shook their heads innocently.

"No, just seeing if she needed any help." The man grinned, both watching the blonde walk away before her turned back to the girl, who smirked.

"You can baste the turkey." She nodded smugly, and Jesse rolled his eyes,

"Isn't basting _your_ area of expertise?" He interjected with a chuckle, pointing subtly to the pregnant blonde. Santana shook her head, thrusting the oven gloves into his chest.

"And to answer your question, _yes,_ it's finished."

Jesse grinned as he lifted the tray onto the counter top, "Great, I can't wait to hear it."

"Merry Christmas to you, too." She nodded good-naturedly.

"I'm sorry!" He sighed, his shoulders hunching as he turned to face her, "I'm just so excited about this tour and trying out _all_ this new material that you're doing _such_ an incredible job with."

The girl chuckled, "Okay, stop blowing smoke up my ass and put that turkey back in. If we can, I'll play it for you later, but if there's uproar about working on Christmas Day then I'm blaming it on you, alright?"

"Deal." The boy nodded, slamming the oven door shut once more as Santana called through to the living room.

"Hobbit, your Gandalf manager is harassing me!"

The girl spun around from where she was bouncing Isla on her knee, "You'd _better_ not be talking shop!"

"We're not, I promise!" Her boyfriend swore unconvincingly, holding his hands up defensively as he crossed back to the living room and accepted his drink from Brittany, murmuring to the girl, "Although she _has_ finished the last track."

Rachel gasped excitedly, whirling around with wide eyes to beam excitedly at Santana, who scowled and made cutting motions across her neck.

"Hugo, get that _out_ of your mouth!" Jess suddenly shouted, leaning forwards to retrieve the remote control and pull it out of her baby's grasp with a grimace, before turning back to her friends, "I know everyone says teething is a nightmare, but _really_?"

"Ugh, Isla was _awful_ for it." Quinn agreed, shaking her head incredulously as Santana sat down beside her, nodding her head.

"God, remember that time in Bloomingdale's?" She chuckled, turning to look at Rachel with an apologetic wince.

The girl rolled her eyes as she peered down at the girl on her knee, "Yes, we _both_ remember that, don't we? It was a real bonding experience."

"I don't think I've heard this story?" Jesse raised his eyebrows, and Santana and Brittany chuckled, exchanging a knowing glance.

"So we're walking through looking for evening dresses- for the Olivier's last year, I wore that green dress, you remember?" Rachel gave him a warning look to accompany her question.

The man nodded, "I remember."

"Okay, well we were walking around, just browsing, and I was carrying Isla, like _this_." She lifted the girl off her lap, turning her so the baby's back was pressed to her chest, earning grins and waves from the rest of the girls, "And she was kind of nibbling on my thumb, and I was just letting her, because I was more focused on the myriad of hideous dresses that _those_ two were trying to get me to try on."

Santana sniggered as Brittany shrugged, "Well, we weren't going to pass up _that_ opportunity."

"But then all of a sudden, with a grip that I can _only_ imagine she inherited from her biological father, the _Nile_ _Crocodile_, she clamped down on my thumb. And I mean _clamped_, and her bottom teeth had _just_ started to come through." She nodded to emphasise her point as Quinn gasped, looking down at her daughter with comical horror, "And I literally just _screamed_."

"_Boy_, did she scream." Santana winced.

"And everyone turned to stare at us." Brittany added, rolling her eyes as she chuckled.

Rachel nodded, "The whole of Bloomingdale's just stared at me, and I'm pretty sure I could have let go of her and she'd have still been hanging on by her mouth."

Quinn frowned, "Reassuring child care."

"But she just would _not_ let go. So Santana rushed over and grabbed Isla, who was still just attached to my hand. Like a dog with lock-jaw."

"I've decided you're not allowed to babysit anymore." The blonde interjected with a nod.

Jesse frowned, "So, how did you get her to let go?"

"Punched her in the back of the neck. Like a dog with lock-jaw." Brittany replied seriously, suddenly bursting out laughter as the man's face contorted into one of horrified shock, "No, she just let go a few minutes later."

He breathed a sigh of relief, clutching at his chest, as Rachel grinned down at the baby, "And _that's_ how I learnt not to let a teething baby put my fingers in their mouth."

-o-

"That was _amazing_." Jess groaned from where she sat sprawled on the sofa, Hugo cradled on her chest in a light slumber. "Thank you Santana and Jesse."

"I'm pretty sure my food baby belly could rival Quinn's." Brittany chuckled beside her, shifting towards the girl and lifting her t-shirt to rub her own, rotund stomach.

"You wish." The blonde chuckled, lifting her own to compare her perfect bump with the taller girl's, "You got nothing on me, Welford."

Santana nodded from where she lay on the other, smaller couch, Isla sat between her legs bashing a toy pig painfully against her knee, "Nothing rivals that bump."

"You _are_ bigger than we all expected." Rachel nodded, and Quinn turned to stare at her, blinking slowly.

"Do not play with mama's hormones right now, Berry."

Brittany and Jess both gave a loud, antagonising 'ooh' as Rachel grinned, lifting her head from Jesse's chest and raising an eyebrow, "You know what I mean! We all said you were going to be tiny."

"Well, I was at the start, it's only in the last two months that I've _ballooned_." She sighed, "Now I just can't wait to get this fucking thing out of me."

"Ah, the joys of motherhood." Jesse remarked playfully, earning a glare from the blonde.

"Carry a watermelon in your scrotum, then we'll talk."

The man frowned, "I'm not sure that's an accurate ratio-" he began, but quickly fell silent as Rachel shook her head pointedly beside him.

"Santana..." Jess groaned hopefully, "Will you play me a Christmas song while I'm feeling fat?"

The girl rolled her eyes, "I'm feeling fat, too!" She replied defensively, "Can't you wait?"

Jess pouted playfully, "It just seems like a nice moment for a sing-along."

"It would be if I didn't know that you want me to play that depressing one you made us all learn last year." She raised an eyebrow knowingly, and the other girl blushed.

"It's my favourite."

Santana shrugged, "I don't even know if I remember it."

"I thought you had an almost photographic memory for music?" Jesse frowned, earning a glare from the girl.

"I quit."

"Go on, _please_." Jess begged, "You know you always love it when you do."

Santana rolled her eyes, but dragged herself off the sofa, passing Isla into Rachel's waiting arms before crossing to the piano and sitting down heavily, "Well, come on then." She sighed, and Jess grinned, giggling excitedly as she stood up and crossed to the girl, passing Hugo across to Santana and hoisting herself up to sit on top of the piano, ignoring the brunette's disapproving scowl as she gently took her son back.

She began applying the slow introduction, frowning down in concentration at the keys, before taking a deep breath, "It was Christmas Eve, babe, in the drunk tank. An old man said to me, 'won't see another one'." She glanced up to see Jess sitting cross-legged, the corners of her mouth twitching reluctantly as the girl grinned down at her, "And then he sang a song, The Rare Old Mountain Dew. I turned my face away, and dreamed about...you." She looked up to see Quinn waddling over to her, smiling warmly as she took a seat on the couch closest to them.

"Got on a lucky one, came in eighteen to one." Jess grinned as Brittany joined them by the piano, "I've got a feeling, this year's for me and you." The blonde wrapped her arms around the girl from behind, stroking her sleeping son's face, "So happy Christmas. I love you baby." Jess sang, turning to grin at the blonde, "I can see a better time, when all our dreams come true."

The slow chords continued as Jess beamed, taking a deep breath as the tempo changed quickly, revelling in the music as she whistled the melody,

"They've got cars big as bars, they've got rivers of gold! When the wind blows right through you, it's no place for the old!" Rachel continued, taking Jesse's hand and dragging him over to the piano, "When you first took my hand on that cold Christmas Eve, you promised me Broadway was waiting for me. You were handsome."

"You were pretty." The boy nodded, taking his cue, "Queen of New York City. When the band finished playing, they howled out for more." The boy grimaced, shaking his head desperately as the words deserted him, and Brittany chuckled as she took over.

"Sinatra was swinging. All the drunks they were singing. We kissed on the corner then danced through the night."

Jess waved her hands for everyone to sing, swaying giddily as they obliged reluctantly, "The boys of the NYPD choir were singing Galway Bay. And the bells were ringing out for Christmas Day."

"You're a bum, you're a punk." Santana began, swiftly cut off as Quinn piped up.

"You're an old slut on junk. Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed."

Brittany grinned, tightening her grip on her wife, "You scumbag, you maggot."

"You cheap lousy faggot." Jess retorted happily, "Happy Christmas, your arse. I pray God it's our last!"

"The boys of the NYPD choir, still singing Galway Bay. And the bells were ringing out for Christmas day."

"I could have been someone." Jesse sang dramatically as Rachel rolled her eyes.

"Well, so could anyone. You took my dreams from me when I first found you."

The boy frowned sadly, clutching a hand to his chest, "I kept them with me babe. I put them with my own. Can't make it all alone."

"I've built my dreams around you." The rest joined in, Quinn smiling tightly from the sofa as Santana sent her a cheeky wink. "The boys of the NYPD choir, still singing Galway Bay. And the bells are ringing out...for Christmas day."

Santana played the final chords with a contented sigh, before lifting her head to raise her eyebrows at Jess, "Happy now?"

"Perfectly, thank you _very_ much." She replied with nod, "Doesn't feel like Christmas unless someone gets called a scumbag. Especially in my house." She added seriously, before chuckling.

"Woah." Quinn suddenly gurgled from the sofa, her eyes widening comically as her eyebrows shot upwards.

Brittany frowned, "Umm, guys...I don't want to alarm you or anything." Santana jaw dropped as realisation dawned, and Jess gasped slowly, "But either Quinn's incontinent...or her waters just broke."

"Holy shit." Santana half-coughed, as Rachel placed her hands on Jesse's chest, pushing him away swiftly and placing Isla in her chair.

"Okay let's go." She clapped her hands, rushing over to the key cupboard and grabbing the keys to the girl's mini-van.

Jess slid off the edge of the piano, bundling Hugo into the man's arms and making for the stairs, "I'll get the overnight bag!"

"Holy shit." Santana swallowed, sitting frozen.

"Jesse, you have to stay here and look after Isla and Hugo." Rachel instructed as the boy's face fell into a look of queasy horror, "Yeah, _that's_ happening, you will be _great_. I believe in you and I _love_ you, honey." She grinned brightly in an attempt to encourage the boy, who nodded dumbly.

"The bag's in the nursery!" Brittany shouted up the stairs as she took hold of Quinn's arm, gently pulling her to her feet. "On top of the wardrobe!"

"I can't do it." The blonde mumbled, shaking her head steadily, "I can't do it. I can't do it."

Brittany nodded, "Yes, you can. Yes, you can. Yes, you can. If _I _could do it, _so_ can you!" She grinned brightly as Jess rushed down the stairs behind them.

"Got it!" She shouted, "Oway then. Let's get crackin'."

"I've got the keys!" Rachel held them aloft, rushing straight past Santana before whirling round on the spot, turning back to the girl, "_Santana_!" She raised her hand, swiftly slapping the dumbfounded girl straight across the face before grabbing her hands, "Look alive! Your wife is giving birth."

The girl paused for a second before giving a quick nod and allowing the girl to pull her to her feet, "Fuck."

"Let's get moving people!" Jess grinned, tugging the front door open, "We've got a baby to..._have_!"

Santana rushed to her wife's side, taking the opposite arm to Brittany as they led her out of the front door, whilst Rachel ran to the garage and climbed into the car, reversing out with a screech of tyres as soon as the electric door opened high enough.

"Okay." Jesse nodded into the silence, glancing down at Hugo before looking across to the baby girl, "...Just us then."

-o-

Six hours later, and Jess and Rachel sat side-by-side in the waiting room of the hospital, the tough plastic squeaking beneath them whenever they shifted in an attempt to reduce the painful numbness that was settling in throughout their bodies.

"I'm sure it didn't take this long when Brittany had Hugo." Jess yawned, stretching her arms out in fronting of her.

Rachel shook her head, "It did, you were just in the middle of all the drama so you didn't notice." She shrugged, blinking her scratchy eyes and rubbing her face in an attempt to wake herself up.

"Can't wait for Britts to get back." The other girl grumbled, "I am _so_ in need of coffee right now."

"Yeah, I know." She chewed on her lip as her phone buzzed in her hand, and she glanced down to skim the text message, "Oh God, poor Jesse. Isla can't sleep so he's walking her back and forth through the bedroom." She winced sympathetically, "I _really_ hoped he'd have an easy ride."

Jess nodded, her brow furrowing with concern, "How's Hugo? Is he managing with both of them? If not I can see if Summer will go pick him up? They've got a set of keys, it's just a bit far out."

"No, Hugo's fine." Rachel shook her head, waving a hand reassuringly, "He was out like a light hours ago apparently."

The other girl breathed a sigh of relief, nodding slowly as they blonde appeared around the corner carrying a tray of drinks, "Sorry, the queue was pretty big considering it's Christmas Day." She grimaced, "Who knew so many people had patients to visit and needed coffee?"

"Not to sound selfish," Rachel frowned as she accepted her drink and took a large slurp, "but I _really_ hope Quinn has this baby soon."

"Is Jesse okay?" Brittany asked immediately as she sat down beside Jess, "How's Hugo?"

Jess shook her head, "Don't worry, he's fine." She chewed on her bottom lip, "Although I think I'll give it another hour or so, then go get him and just take him home. I don't want him waking up and not knowing his surroundings. He'll freak out and then Jesse'll have _two_ screaming kids."

"Plus has Jesse actually ever looked after kids?" Brittany frowned, her mouth twisting nervously.

"Yeah, don't worry." Rachel rolled her eyes, "He has a niece who he sees all the time, he's just..._maybe_ not used to two."

The blonde sighed, looking pained as her shoulders hunched, "Ugh, and we never gave _either_ of them a bath, Hugo's gonna get all those weird little nasty skin things."

"I'll do it in the morning." Jess shrugged, "Otherwise he'll be gammy all day."

Rachel suddenly snorted, a small smile gracing her features as she tipped her head back to gaze at the ceiling, "I have to say. This is _not_ how I imagined this night ending."

"Born on Christmas Day ought." Jess nodded, "It's like a fairy tale."

"I know." Brittany giggled, "And here, I thought we'd all be happily drunk - apart from Quinn - the kids would be in bed and we'd be watching awful Christmas TV before all crashing out, ready to be awoken again at four am to crying babies."

"Four am?" The tiny girl repeated, her eyes wide, "Really?"

Jess chuckled, one eyebrow raised as she turned to the girl, nodding her head, "Yeah, _really_. Why do you think I have bags under my eyes that are so big I have to pay extra on flights?"

"God." Rachel breathed, shaking her head incredulously, "Remember Quinn and Santana's wedding?" She grinned as the girls nodded, "We stayed up til four am. That was when the party _ended_ for God's sakes."

"Eugh." Brittany grimaced, "How did we _do_ it? These days if I'm not in bed by nine I hate _everything_ the next day, dance school and all."

Jess shrugged, "Time. Age. Children." She snorted, tipping her head back and gulping down her coffee, "Changes everything."

"And soon to have another one." The tiny girl grinned widely, rubbing her hands together.

"Sooner than we think!" Brittany suddenly sat forward, pointing to the double doors in rounding of them, where Santana stood silently, clad in green scrubs with her hair tied back and covered, a white mask hanging around her neck.

The girls stood up in an instant, abandoning their take-out cups on the floor and rushing towards the girl, who held up her hands to stop them before they got too close, wiping her forearm across her brow.

"So?" Jess grinned.

Rachel stared, wide-eyed, "Is everything okay?"

"Boy or girl?" Brittany demanded excitedly.

"Is everything okay?" Rachel repeated.

"How's Quinn?" Jess interjected.

"Is everything okay!?" Rachel demanded.

Santana took a deep breath, nodding steadily as she grinned, her chest heaving as she finally murmured, "It's a boy."


End file.
